A Theological Perspective of the Clash of Civilizations Essay examples

Introduction On more than one occasion, President George W. Bush has described the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as fostering â€Å"a monumental battle of good versus evil.† In this battle, there has been no doubt in his mind (or in ours) regarding who is on the side of good and who is on the side of evil. Though some have winced at the President’s use of such absolute moral terms to portray the tragic events of that fateful day, others have applauded his courageous use of such unfashionable discourse as entirely appropriate, even suggesting that it implies the demise of the cultural scourge of postmodern moral relativism. Another important way, not entirely unrelated, of interpreting what transpired on 9/11 is to explain the attack of Islamic extremists on the United States of America as a manifestation of a â€Å"clash of civilizations.† At the center of this way of looking at these unprecedented events has been an article and book both authored by the noted Harvard professor of political science, Samuel P. In the summer 1993 edition of the journal Foreign Affairs, Huntington argued that world politics was entering a new phase after the end of the Cold War, and that tensions between civilizations, as the highest cultural groupings of people, would dominate the global scene. He explains the article’s thesis in these words. It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different ci... ...vides a basis for that blaze, that vision, and that life. Let us pray and live it out with a sincere heart with a view to God’s glory in the restoration of humankind Solzhenitsyn, â€Å"A World Split Apart,† 59, 61. and the renewal of the earth in an age of a tremendous battle between good and evil and the clash of civilizations. Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled, as to console. To be understood, as to understand. To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Locked in the Cabinet Essay

Democracy is a form of government where people have a right enabling them to have a say in everything that affects their lives. However, our government is not a direct democracy, and as such, individuals are not empowered or able to have a say in the inner-workings of their government. Their beliefs are not heard as often as they would like, and they are given little to no opportunities to decide what the government will do. The average citizen has little access to political power, and as a result little influence in the government. But if one individual chooses to change the government, and places that as their goal, then they have a chance of altering the system that governs their lives. If one such as Robert Reich works hard towards their goal, then they can possibly change the government to some degree. Robert Reich was an average man who had strong beliefs, and among those beliefs was the belief that to help people was just. His career in law began as a law clerk to a judge, and he eventually worked his way to the position of Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton. All of the time that Reich spent in Clinton’s cabinet was dedicated towards attempting to make his idea’s bear fruit. Although in the book Reich is the Secretary of Labor, he did not start out in this position. He worked his way up from the position of a law clerk, as I have previously stated, to a job that came with some measure of power. Reich attained this place in the government through his own efforts, and by showing that he had ideas suitable to fill in the role of Secretary of Labor. Reich is just one example of an ordinary person with true passion for their beliefs who was able to make a difference in the government. In Reich’s book, he talks about how an average person named Steve Wandner had an idea to reduce unemployment. Reich explains that Steve’s idea was when unemployed people claimed that they were unemployed, that they had to be screened to find out whether or not they were permanently laid off so that they could find new jobs faster. Steve worked hard in order for his idea to be heard, and after being ignored several times, Reich gave him the attention his idea deserved. Later, Wandner’s idea became an official law. Anyone can make a difference in the government if they work hard to reach a position where it is possible. During Robert Reich’s stay a part of President Clinton’s cabinet, he followed a strong belief in â€Å"putting the people first†. He cared deeply about helping the unemployed obtain new jobs and to retrain them in order to have better working skills, and in that same vein, better jobs further down the road. Reich also wanted to raise the minimum wage, show people the inequality of income in America, and much more. Reich’s ideas were not in any way offensive or unfair, he simply wanted to help people first rather than putting full attention on government issues such as reducing the deficit. Because of this, many of his ideas were igored and rejected by the members of Clinton’s moderate administration. For example, during one of his meeting with Bill Ford, chairman of the House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee, Reich tried to explain to him the idea of retraining American workers. Reich ended up being yelled at and his idea rejected. Although many of Reich’s ideas were disregarded by other members of government he continued to pursue his goal of helping the working class of America. Reich was rather successful in performing his duties as Secretary of Labor. One of his successes was helping pass the Family and Medical Leave Act. It allowed working class families to have more time off from work if they were injured or had a child. He was also successful in convincing President Bill Clinton in aiding the people rather than the government. In doing so Clinton decided to pass a law in raising the minimum wage 90 cents. This pleased many of the working class of America. Finally, Reich was also able to set up several reforms in order to help provide more jobs for the unemployed. For example, Reich gave 3 million dollars to a job center helping people trying to get employment. Even though he want able to pass a law to retrain workers, he still managed to work hard and complete some of his goals. Reich was ignored by many government officials during his term as Secretary of Labor, and this greatly hindered his chances of getting his goals finished. But while this may be true, this was not the center of his experiences as the Secretary of Labor. Reich was aiming towards retraining Americans, and he is not the only one who has seen this as a valuable idea. Freddie Ray Marshall was the Secretary of Labor for Jimmy Carter, and he shared many similar ideas with Reich. Both men were working to provide jobs for others, and they both were trying to get workers to be retrained. (F. Ray Marshall) If workers could get more training, they can possibly get better jobs. He also is a teacher, like Reich. However, unlike Reich, Marshall was able to pass many programs and to help reduce unemployment. I would say that some of Reich’s experiences were unique to his time as the Secretary of Labor, and that others were not. In conclusion, Reich was a man who fought all alone for his beliefs, and was more successful in some areas than in others. To call him a failure is a little harsh, and to call him a success depends on your political views. All in all, Reich did what he felt would be best for the people who have little say in the government. Reich can be seen as a prime example of one who worked hard to have their voice heard, and as one who made a difference, even if it wasn’t as big a difference as he would’ve liked. Reich really seemed like he was a kind individual (but then again, he wrote the book) and even if he did not succeed in all his plans, he still changed some things for the better.

Cold Mountain Odell story Essay

What do you find interesting about the way in which Frazier presents Inman and Veasey’s encounter with Junior? Frazier presents Inman and Veasey, who encountered Junior, is an interesting one because we at first see Junior as a man who is loyal and caring, however at further dissection we see him as a cruel, manipulative and calculating man, who is the source of all evil, because this novel is about evil. Frazier uses languages to describe Junior, he is described as a: â€Å"Great bush burnsides fuzzed out to his jawbone peered from under the brim’s shadow with dark eyes, the lids swollen and hooded as a raptor’s.† This gives an image of a man who is quite â€Å"old†, however the words such as: â€Å"shadow†¦dark eyes† suggest to me that he is the meaning of true evil, and that Inman and Veasey shall be in danger if they stay with him. Later on the novel, when Inman and Veasey go to Junior’s house, Frazier uses animal symbolism such as â€Å"cocks†¦three legged, patchy-haired dog.† Which brings that this world is not a pleasant one, and evil roams everywhere, also that this world is not safe at all. Frazier makes us the audience despise Junior because when the â€Å"dog† is kicked and is thought to be dead, he tell us that: â€Å"I don’t give a shit one way or the other.† Frazier makes distance away from him, and proves that evil has no heart. Frazier uses the theme of food, between the encounter with Junior, Veasey and Inman, we are told that food â€Å"smell of rank meat cooking.† This suggests that the food and smell is horrible and this tells us that Junior is the same, that he is cruel. Frazier presents to us to one of the biggest themes which is evil and Junior is the source of all evil, Frazier cleverly distances us away from Junior, because when Inman asks that little girl’s name, and she tells him it is â€Å"Lula† however, he forces her to use the name â€Å"Chastity† which is a virtue showing us that she is pure. He describes Lula mother as a â€Å"cathouse†, which is another symbol, which is used to represent that she is a whore, because she has sex with other men. Which makes sympathise with her, because the mother and daughter are not well treated compared to Inman and Veasey. However, Frazier uses a subtheme manipulation, because Junior is showing the kindness and hospitality towards Inman and Veasey, because they are being tricked into being sold to the â€Å"homeguard†, because they want to take the â€Å"outliers† and that he gets â€Å"five dollars.† This shows the cruelty of Junior. Frazier uses another theme, stars, when Inman is outside, the â€Å"light† is missing and that the stars are not there, which suggests that an omen is coming soon, this is true because it reflects on Inman and Veasey, who will be betrayed by Junior and that one of them shall die. â€Å"The light was thin† and it â€Å"was unmarked by stars.† Frazier presents the house as not a normal house, but a house where everything has gone wrong, because he uses language to make it seem strange, like the â€Å"doughboys.† They move in circles, with no emotion, making them emotionless, also they show no kind of communication, and they don’t think at all, which tells me that they are lifeless, they are only bodies with no soul, or emotions, because evil (Junior) has tainted them and took their souls away. This might happen to Veasey and Inman, if they stayed too long. Frazier uses another subtheme, instinct, you need it to survive in that house, because when Inman enters, his â€Å"feet were about to slide out from under him.† This is warning him, that you must leave this place, or else suffer from what is coming. The house is presented as a â€Å"dark†¦vast warren†¦mazy into many tiny rooms with doors on each wall in ways that defied logic.† This tells us that you have a small chance of escape and survival now, if you do not rely on your instincts. Soon, Frazier reveals the evil in Junior, and he shows the subthemes of trickery and manipulation because he tricked them into staying in his house and he manipulated them to make his life easier. He tells them that â€Å"You’re not the first one I’ve snared in here†¦I get five dollars a head for every outlier.† This tells me the treachery and intelligence that Junior has and how he uses these to his advantage. To conclude, the meeting of Junior shows that you have to rely on your instincts, because you are close to meeting the true source of evil, also you have to be alert, in case he tries to betray you. Frazier is also telling us that you cannot get rid of evil because it is in everyone’s hearts. To prevent it making it too powerful, you need to balance it with good, to make it neutral. The good guys are Inman and Veasey, while the bad guy is Junior, They balanced each other out, and when the stars were gone, they represented the light, but they were overthrown by the darkness, Junior’s tainted heart.

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example How well an organization thrives in its operations is greatly determined by its human capital which is in turn driven by strategic human resource management and planning. Efficient human resource management has been universally acknowledged for the capabilities it possesses towards shaping employee behavior in attaining the overall mission of an organization (King and Zeithaml, 2001). Obtaining a productive pool of employee skills is a process which commences from selection and proceeds to molding their behavior and work ethics in line with the overall organizational goals (Youndt and Snell, 2001). Prior understanding of the requirements of various duties and processes in an organization may form the basis effective selection or recruitment of the most appropriate human labor. In shaping employee behavior, employee is visualized as cognitive and emotional being who possess free will to partake in various events (Baruch and Peiperl, 2000).Therefore, how efficiently employees are manag ed will greatly determine whether the work ethic behaviors they exhibit are in line with the business mission of the organization in question. Unlike other forms of capital in a firm, organizations do not own human but rather it is owned by individuals. Competitiveness within firms is said to be only achieved if the collective behavior of the human capital is geared towards the benefits of the firm (Youndt and Snell, 2001). Cost effective utilization of labor within a firm can only be achieved through strategic human resource management. Human resource management is concerned with identification of the roles and duties of the individual components of the human capital; in so doing, the various firm’s operations are of critical importance to the human resource managers (Richard, 2001). A combination of clear understanding of the organizational operations together with the pool of skills present in the human capital provides the basis for efficient and cost effective labor util ization (Youndt and Snell, 2001). Measures geared towards effective labor utilization often focus on maximizing the output from the human capital while at the same time minimizing the input spent on the same. These may be achieved through means such multiple allocation of duties on employees depending on the skills and outsourcing for various services with a firm (Baruch and Peiperl, 2000). Strategic human resource management involves effective planning and assessment of environmental uncertainty and adaption. Planning is the day-to-day execution of the organization goals; it involves undertaking of measures that best accomplish the goals of an organization at minimal costs and uncertainties (Mello, 2011). Effective planning calls for constant reviewing of the efforts being made towards attainment of particular goals. This helps one to determine whether the efforts being directed towards certain goals are generating the anticipated results. Constant reviewing minimizes the chances o f being faced with unnecessary uncertainties. Assessment of environmental uncertainty and adoption is also important in strategic human resource management. Therefore, within an organization, key focus should be given to appropriate environmental biodiversity. Adaption mechanisms will involve regulatory measures that together aim at contributing to the achievement of organizational goals (Baruch and

Equal Treatment of All Irrespective of Sex, Race or Ability Essay

Equal Treatment of All Irrespective of Sex, Race or Ability - Essay Example Judith Sargent Murray looks into detail the bodily superiority of men and the mental superiority of women. Murray vehemently asserts that the faculty of imagination has been unquestionably bestowed on women. This is exemplified by the power of the females so enormous at their readiness to act on their first thoughts. With the females imaginative faculties, they tend to reason on only what they know which is quite dangerous. The creative powers they possess make up stories which could be really destructive. However, she accepts that the judgment of the females not so strong due to the partialities of custom which are traced from the disparities of education background. The female is depressed, confined and domesticated while the male is exalted and encouraged to aspire being led through prosperous paths yet nature provides for equal minds. This disparity leaves a void to the unexploited abilities of the women folk while those that get the opportunity to pursue their dreams through boo ks are attached to style and indignity and are no happy since they are left to pursue men for sexual enjoyment. This inferiority still trails them and they cannot improve. She, however, asserts that since nature treats everyone equal and has seen both successful males and females have all got crowns and fame. With the females imaginative faculties, they tend to reason on only what they know which is quite dangerous. The creative powers they possess they make up stories which could be really destructive.

Shape Security Profile Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shape Security Profile - Research Paper Example Shape Security business strategies include diversification of product line through internal and external funding. For example, in 2014, the company allocated $40 million in funding (Ingrid, 2014). In this way, it was able to expand its products to include website hosting, high-speed internet, domain registration and email hosting among other. Shape Security target customers include banks, firms using ecommerce, healthcare organizations, cyber cafes and individuals using different websites among other users. Given the extensive use of internet globally, the company customer base will increase in future. This implies that by creating a strong promotion and more advertising, the company sales will ultimately increase. As the need for marketing in order to expand the customer base increases, firms have noted the importance of value proposition. For the case of Shape Security, innovation has been the key pillar in its brand improvement (Maranville, 1992). The company value proposition is that automation is at the heart of every botnet. In this way, customers are guaranteed of the value and capability of the ShapeShifter in dealing with the attacks. As the competition in the technology industry increases, more firms still are joining the sector due to the high profits enjoyed by firms. ShapeSecurity main competitors include Invincea, Crowdstrike and Defense.net. The enterprise was given the brand name Shape Security in 2011 when it was founded by Sumit Agarwal, Justin Call and Derek Smith. To ensure that potential customers are not confused or fail to differentiate the company brands from those of the competitors, Shape Security has a website- http://shapesecurity.com. The company operations are in line with US IP laws and thus competitors are prevented from producing brands that are the same like those of Shape Security. Shape Security enjoys the support of various investors. For example, Sierra Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and

Weekly Activity 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly Activity 9 - Essay Example There are many unfortunate institutional barriers which impede the process of protection delivery to women on campus despite good policies enacted by the government like the Jeanne Clery Act. This act requires all colleges and universities to provide emotional support to victims of harassment and sexual assault. However, women still lack safety on campus because in addition to this fact that many attacks go unreported, college administrators themselves demonstrate great disbelief when complaints are delivered to them by victims. This attitude discourages students who need reassurance in times of distress (Zeisler, 2014). In order to turn around the situation of women’s safety for good at my campus, I intend to remove all those institutional barriers which impede delivery of protection to women on time. For this purpose, weekly instructional meetings will be organized after study hours on campus to make students feel more motivated and determined about reporting bad things when they happen to them. It is the silence of women which has made sexual assault a silent epidemic. These meetings will bring together women’s groups and campus safety agents in one place to put a stop to this growing epidemic. Zeisler, A. (2014, 30 Apr). College Campus Safety: What Parents and Students Should Know. HUFF POST. Retrieved from